Tapping valve for beer kegs



Dec. 24, 1963 Filed July 20, 1961 TO DISPENSING VALVE A. J. TONNA ETAL 3,115,149

TAPPING VALVE FOR BEER KEGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FROM CO2 TANK INVENTORS ARTHUR J. TONNA V/CTOR ,4. SAR/OTT/ By @M r" a A T TO/PNEVS Dec. 24, 1963 A. J. TONNA' ETAL TAPPING VALVE FOR BEER KEGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 20, 1961 INVENTORS ARTHUR J. TON/VA V/CTOR ,4. SAR/OTT/ Z7M/Z4/ AT TO/PNEVS United States Patent 3,115,149 TAPPlNG VALVE FGR BEER KEGS Arthur J. Tonna, San Francisco, and Victor A. Sariotti,

Daily (Iity, Calih, assignors to Burgermeister Brewing Corporation, San Francisco, Calhh, a corporation of tlalliornia Filed lnly 29, 1961, S62. No. 125,546

1 Claim. (Cl. 137-240) This invention relates to the valve art, and more particularly to an improvement in a tapping valve for beer kegs.

One of the well known and long used beer keg pressurizing and dispensing systems is known as the Golden Gate system. in such a system the keg is characterized by the presence of a fitting in its upper wall for connection to a source of pressurized gas, a normally closed fill opening in its side Wall, a tapping valve fitted into the side wall adjacent the bottom wall, and a tapping device adapted to be fitted into the valve and locked thereto by rotative movement, the rotative movement being effective to open the valve. Reverse rotative movement of the tapping device serves to close the valve and to free the tapping device for disengagement from the valve.

In the valves of this type which are in use, the outlet port of the valve is located as much as an inch or more above the bottom of the keg. As a consequence, this port is uncovered to the pressurized gas before the keg is fully emptied. The keg still contains a number of quarts of beer. To minimize the loss of this beer, the keg is tipped, tipping blocks being regularly provided for this purpose, to maintain the valve outlet port submerged as long as possible. Even so, many ounces of residual beer remain in the keg and is lost to the purchaser.

it has been suggested that the valve be provided with a radially disposed tubular extension, the inlet opening of which is disposed immediately adjacent the bottom of the keg when the valve is open, thereby enabling substantially complete draining of the keg. The patent to Lamoureux 2,545,620 discloses such an arrangement. But while the tubular extension type of valve shown in this patent enables a substantially complete emptying of the keg, it does not lend itself to conventional keg handling practice.

Such kegs are returned to the brewery for cleaning while the valve is closed and subsequent refilling. Caustic solution is employed in the cleaning operation, and the tubular extension will entrap and retain an amount of cleaning solution, thereby rendering the use of such a valve unsatisfactory in practice.

In summary, the present invention is an improvement on the described tubular extension type of valve, in that means are embodied in the valve to render it self-clearing of cleaning fluids during the cleaning operation.

The invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings forming part of this specification, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation, partially broken away, of a keg embodying the improved valve of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged detail view taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical diametral section through the valve of the invention; and

FIG. 4 is a view in perspective of the parts of the valve in disassembled relation.

The keg 1% is provided with an opening 12 defined by an inwardly directed sleeve 14 terminating in a radially inwardly directed flange 16. A tapping valve indicated generally at 18 comprises a body member Ztl having a cup-shaped portion 22 and a truncated conical portion 24 integral with portion 22.. Portion 2,2 is provided with a flange 26 having a tab 23. Fixedly secured to the outer end of cup-shaped portion 22 is a ring having shaped means as, for a purpose hereinafter described, and a flange "ice 32 which is likewise provided with a tab 34. The tabs 28 and 34 fit into a groove 35 formed in sleeve 14, thereby positionally and fixedly orienting the body member relative to opening 12. A sealing ring 38 is provided between flanges 1d and 26, and a lock ring 40, threadably engaged with sleeve 14, secures the body member Zil in place.

A valve member 42 comprised of a cylindrical or hub portion 44 and a radially directed extension portion 46 is secured against the end wall 48 of body member portion 24, the valve member portion 44 being provided with an insert face disc 47 formed of a material having good bearing and sealing qualities, such as nylon or Teflon. A screw 5d secures the disc i? to the valve member 4-2.

The means for securing the valve member 42 to the body member 2% comprises a spindle 52, rotatably mounted in end wall is, having splines 54 complemental to splineways 56 formed in valve member 42. A nut 57 threaded on the spindle 52 presses a spring steel cupped washer 58 against the valve member, thereby pressing the disc 47 against end wall 4%. An 0 ring as maintains a fluid tight seal between end wall l? and spindle shoulder 62.

The spindle is provided with a polygonal end 64 with which the tubular tapping device 66 (FIG. 1) comprising socket wrench means is engaged to turn the spindle and rotate the valve member 42 so that the extension portion 46 is in one or the other of the dotted and solid line positions shown in FIG. 2. The solid line position of extension portion it is the open position of the valve. In this position, the passageway 68 extending longitudinally through extension portion 46 and radially through the cylindrical portion 44 and disc 47 is in communication with a port it? formed in the end wall 48 of the valve body member. In the dotted line position of extension portion 46, the passageway 68 is out of communication with the port 79, and the valve is therefore closed.

It will be appreciated that the tapphig device 66 has been omitted from the open position valve showing of FIG. 3. In this position of the valve the tapping device is locked to the valve by the shaped means 39, as is well understood in the art, the tapping device thus serving as the outflow conduit for the keg contents.

The improvement constituting the present invention, and whereby the passageway 68 of the valve member 42 may be flushed free of cleaning solution, will now be described. A passageway 72 is formed in the valve member, said passageway extending from passageway 68 to that diameter of valve member portion 4-4 which is at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of valve member extension portion 46. A second passageway 7d is then formed through disc 4-? and valve member portion 44 to communicate with passageway 72. A groove '76 is formed in the outer face of body member end wall 48.

When the valve is open, i.e. when the valve member extension portion 46 is disposed downwardly, the passageways 72, 74 are dead-ended at end wall 48. When the valve is closed, i.e. when the valve member extension portion is disposed in the dotted line position of FIG. 2, the passageways *72, 7d are in communication with the groove 76 formed in the end wall 18, thereby, in effect, making the passageway 63 open at both ends for self clearance during the cleaning operation, the latter taking place while the tapping valve is closed.

What is claimed is:

A tapping valve, in combination with a keg having an interior and having a tapping valve orifice, for the dispensing of beer from kegs, said kegs being of the type which are charged and from time to time recharged with beer at a charging station, the operator of said charging station being required to sterilize the interiors of said kegs when said interiors have been relatively emptied and said kegs have been returned to said charging station, the sterilizing of said kegs being normally accomplished by the use of media comprising a solution of alkali followed by the application of rinse water under pressure, said tapping valve being adapted to enable the pressure-dispensing from said kegs of substantially the entire volume of beer charged into said kegs and being further adapted to enable the complete rinsing from said kegs of alkali solution by said rinse water to thereby ensure that none of said alkali solution will remain in said kegs to contaminate the beer subsequently charged into said kegs, said tapping valve comprising a tubular hollow body member having keg-exterior and keg-interior ends, said body member being attached to said tapping valve orifice of said beer keg and extending into the interior of said keg, a radial extension member rotatably attached to the keg-interior end of said body member, said extension member having defined therein an outwardly opening passageway communicating with the interior of said keg, said body member having an end wall adjacent the keg-interior end thereof, said end Wall having a port extending therethrough whereby beer may flow from said passageway of said extension member into and through said body member, a disc member fixed to said radial extension member and means, comprising a spin- 2 dle disposed centrally and longitudinally with respect to said body member and extending through said end wall,

positioning said disc member adjacent said end wall in fluid-tight engagement with said end Wall, said disc memher having a first port, means comprising said spindle for effecting relative rotative movement between said disc member and said end wall to move said first port of said disc member and said port of said end wall into registry and out of registry to, respectively, effect beer-flow communication between the interior of said keg and the kegexterior end of said body member through said passageway of said extension member and said ports and to effect interruption of said beer-flow communication, said disc member having a second port angularly spaced from said first port, said second port and said passageway comprising means for disposing said passageway in two-Way, or double-ended, flow-through communication with the interior of said keg when said beer-flow communication is interrupted, whereby alkaline solution subsequently entering said passageway during the course of sterilizing said keg may be substantially fully flushed from said passageway by rinse water to the interior of said keg and therefrom to drain.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

